America in 1786  Congress has not paid the veterans of the Continental Army in 5 years  The United States is about $27,000,000 in debt  The U.S. has no credit to secure loans to pay its debt  There is no national currency, rather 13 different state currencies!  None of the state currencies match up either!

Just How Broke We Are  The amount of money you had was dependent on what state you were in!  Imagine you were standing out on the blacktop with $  You DO NOT add or take away any money at all  Mrs. Pike’s room = $ (Virginia)  Mr. Berment’s room = $ (Rhode Island)  Ms. Dobler’s room = $720.o0 (New York)  Mr. Staten’s room = $1345! (Maryland) =P

Foreclosure Crisis  Many veterans cannot afford to pay their rents or interest on their loans  Remember, Congress still hasn’t paid them  Banks start foreclosing on many farms  Sounds awful familiar doesn’t it???

The Articles of Confederation  The first attempt at national government, the Articles of Confederation, failed horribly  Congress couldn’t tax or raise money  There was no Continental Army to enforce the will of Congress  Congress had to ask the states for permission to do most things

Shays’ Rebellion, 1786  Daniel Shays, a Revolutionary War veteran, and 1000 farmers seize control of the federal arsenal in Springfield, Massachusetts  Congress, fearing Shays’ intentions, begs Massachusetts to deal with the problem  Massachusetts sends 4000 militiamen to arrest them all

Jefferson’s Reaction  Jefferson believes Shays’ Rebellion is a continuation of the Revolutionary Spirit of 1776  Democracy in action!  Go Shays!  Jefferson is 3000 miles away serving as Ambassador to France

Madison’s Reaction  Shays’ Rebellion showed Madison how weak the Articles of Confederation were  Proposes a new national government under a brand new, written Constitution

Summarize  In your interactive notebook, at the bottom of your notes page, write a short paragraph about today’s lesson. Write about:  What the main idea of the lesson was  AND what you learned today.  Your summary should be able to explain today’s lesson to someone who was not in class today.